"The secret of all victory lies in the organization of the non-obvious." Marcus Aurelius
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Tuesday, November 09, 2010
I think I feel a headache coming on
Next, during those 12 months, you submit your medical bills to that accounting firm (who only has your best interest at heart) for reimbursement. If, at the end of the year, you had been too healthy to use up all of your medi-flex money, the accountants get to keep it and go on their own spending spree. So shame on you if you didn't keep track of every aspirin, cough drop, and doctor visit. When I say "keep track of", I mean having a receipt with so much documentation, it would make an IRS agent weep.
Now the bad news. It seems that, after playing this medi-flex game for a few years, most people get amazingly proficient at gauging what their upcoming medical expenses will be. Bad taxpayer! Bad taxpayer! But don't worry. In order for the government and medical accounting firms to make more money next year, they did what any spoiled brat would do when they're losing the game … they change the rules. Starting next year, you can no longer use your hard earned dollars in your account to buy any over-the-counter medicine. All of your receipts have to be doctor related and prescription based, which means none of this trying to heal yourself nonsense. Come December, your psychic powers had better be more powerful than that of a Wall Street broker.
Now the good news. These rules don't go into effect until January 1, 2011. So if you still have a lot of money idling in your medi-flex account, I suggest you go buy one of those medicine cabinets that are the size of an outdoor shed. Then, stock it full with every over-the-counter remedy that you can lay your hands on. If you're lucky, you might be able to write off the medicine cabinet as well.
What if you were a wise steward of your medi-flex resource this year and have nothing left in your account? Then I would suggest buying a box of envelopes. Whenever you or your loved ones or close friends (including the family cat and dog) have the sniffles and sneezes, just make sure to cough hard enough to coat the inside of a few envelopes. Seal this little germ treasure chest and mail it to your representative in government and to your medi-flex accounting firm. There is no reason why you shouldn't spread your wealth around.
Will Work for ... Work!
In any case, I have been submitting job applications about the town in hopes of some part-time work. After all, the holiday season is almost here and someone has to help these overpriced stores sell their substandard merchandise to bleary-eyed shoppers who are hyped up on coffee and the overwhelming drive to get their snotty nosed kids the latest and greatest fad. Of course, I mean that in a good way. At least, that's how I hope the store manager took my comments during today's interview. Otherwise he must have been lying when he said he was looking for a hard-working and honest worker -- and there's nothing dishonest about what I said. As for hard-working ... well, I'm looking, aren't I!
Saturday, November 06, 2010
Another Reason to Avoid DST?
All is not lost. You could think of this as a bad thing as you miss crucial appointments. Or you can be positive and think of this as an wonderful opportunity to become very wealth. Got fired because you over slept since your alarm is off by hour? Sue! Missed that life changing appointment because of a wayward alarm? Sue! Upset because you're a guy with a girl's name? Sue!
So smile and remember to set that appointment for yourself to fix your iPhone alarm. Just make sure it set for an hour earlier.
Monday, November 01, 2010
Buying verses living in a tent
But we Americans seem to be addicted with buying homes. The latest goings-on in the news almost make you want to reconsider and check into a residential rehab for homeowners who are ready kick the habit. Of course, this means moving into a tent somewhere deep in the woods. But no one said rehabilitation is easy.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
When is the best time to buy a lottery ticket?
When you can drive on the wrong side of i-95, cause a few accidents, have your little trip video taped, return home safe and sound, and have the police saying that they can't find you ...
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Put A Cork In It
“Oh, I'll just go buy a couple of bottles of diet pills,” she said slimly. “That's not necessary,” he told her. “Out of all of the best diet pills for women, I have the perfect one. And all you'll need is just one!” “Really?” she asked inquisitively. “What is it?”
As proud as any man could be without giving any forethought to the consequences of his actions, he stood in front of her and arrogantly held out a 4 inch round cork stopper. “Ta-da!” He shouted. She looked at him as if he had lost his mind, which he had. “I can't use that!” she exclaimed. “Not only will I not be able to eat but I won't build to talk as well!” Not knowing when to keep his month shut, he boosted, “I told you it was perfect!”
And that's when the fight began …
tastes like ...
When we first read "alligator bites", we thought perhaps restaurant was just trying to be obvious. But there was no other similar phrases listed, such as "fish swim", "dogs bark", or "cook spits". So being the adventurous guys that we are, we ordered a couple of servings of this reptilian delicacy. I have to admit – the alligator was rather tasty. It tasted like, well, … chicken.
This brings me to the main point of this post. When the first caveman ate chicken for the first time, what did he compare it to?
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
It's sooooo worth it!
It's been five years since my divorce became official. One of the conditions was that I would give half the value of our home to my ex and she would take her name off the property. So I took out a hefty loan to pay her and she, well, I'm still waiting on her to sign the quit claim.
I asked her about it last week. Turns out that she wants part of the money I earned from working two and three jobs to pay for our divorce. Can you say greedy? It's funny to think that at one time I put her on a pedestal. I'm thinking now that I had the order reversed.
I'm sure I could her to fulfill her obligation by paying her off. But it's not like I could take a payday advance to make this happen. After all, those payday advances are just that – an advance that you pay off on your next payday. The way things are going with her, this extortion will last years. And yet, you know what? It's still worth it!
Shhhhh, I'm hiding
Between you and me, that did make my day. I understood what he meant. Most of the guys and gals who are nearing or have surpassed the half-century mark will stand at the bottom of the stairs and call up to us instead of making the Herculean effort to walk up a few steps. And fortunately, most of those people are in upper management. So if we don't want to talk to them, we sit very, very still in our chairs until they go away. I guess being spry has its advantages.
One of These Days ... yeah, right....
Let's face it. I am becoming what I had hoped I’d never to be – a curmudgeon. Any moment now, I'm going to step on my Internet porch and start shouting, "Hey you kids! Get off my blog!" I think I have a good idea now of why Henry Thoreau moved out into the middle of tiny log cable in the woods by himself.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Ouch! Hey, no pimples!
I watched as one acrobatic daredevil plunge down the steep incline at neck breaking speeds. His momentum allowed him to race quickly up the other side, off the shiny quarterpipe and into the deep blueness of the California sky. There he paused, seemingly suspended forever in the air. Then slowly, gracefully, he returned back to the slick ramp to repeat a process that would have earned the envy of Sisyphus. Well, he might have repeated this process had his front wheels touched the inclined ramp and not the top of the horizontal platform. Sadly, because the laws of physics must be obeyed, his multicolored skateboard stopped instantly. However, our brave skateboarder didn't as he continued on his travels. He bounced face first down the smooth ramp and ricocheted sideways onto the adjacent though-not-as-smooth concrete walkway. Fortunately for him, the side of his face absorbed momentum of his movement. And while he didn't earn any points, he did earn the best acne treatment any young 20-something can ask for – road rash and skin grafts.
And to think I got to watch this all for free!
working out or just working
Of course, all of that has changed. A couple months after the new company bought our business, they fired the workout instructor when they permanently laid off several workers. Now, there's only one or two people who still try to make a point to work out a couple of times during the week. Otherwise, the showers and the used gym equipment sit in the darkness and wait their turn to be permanently laid off. I should take advantage and get back into working out before I lose this resource as well.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Habit is overcome by habit
Anyway, I've heard that habit is overcome by habit. And eating is a habit. So I thought I would overcome eating food by using hoodia diet pills - using not eating. I found if I take and put a pill between each finger including my thumb and do this for both hands, I would spend much the day trying to get the pills between each finger including my thumb on both hands. Finally, when I had successfully achieved this Cirque du Soleil feat, not only could I not pick up any food, I could no longer hold any utensils by which to eat the food. Now if I can make this a daily habit, eating won't be a problem, will it…
They're Alive! They're ALIVE, I tell you!!!
Warning! This is not for the faint of heart or those without a sense of humor!
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Keeper of the Old Stuff
Last week, a new recruit was cleaning out one of the dungeons of despair, I mean, cubicle to make room for her new office. She picked up one of those "Velo binding" machines and looked at me as though I was the museum manager of ancient artifacts. I ended up explaining that, once upon a time, presentations weren't done with a high definition LCD screen in front of an bored audience. We actually had to print up booklets, assemble them with fancy bindings, and then hand them out so we could all turn the pages together while someone in the front of the room would read to us. It was considered a good meeting if the booklets were in color. It was considered a very good meeting if food was available. It was considered a great meeting if you didn't have to attend. In fact, at the end of the year, you would have a file cabinet full of written memorabilia so you could relive the hours that you wasted in meetings. Ah, good times, good times. Nowadays, you have only memories. And if you're lucky, they will file themselves in those irretrievable places in your mind. Ah, better times, better times...
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Who's afraid of The Dreaded Pirate, Monsieur Poopy Pants?
Teens In The Fast Lane
Regardless, there is something magical when you see a teenager's eyes fixate on those car keys. I say magical because when you dangle those car keys over their heads, they suddenly possess the speed and ambition not normally seen around times when dishes need to be washed or when homework needs to be done. Yes, those keys possess a magic that you won't find in any pixie dust or witch’s wand.
What about when that fateful day of the driving test arrives? You can tell which teenagers have learned to stand on their own two feet – they're the ones who failed the test. But even if they passed the exam and the state foolishly grants them a license, you as a parent, as a responsible adult, as a gatekeeper of all that is precious and holy, still have the power to keep your hormonal raging child from becoming a road raging, driving fool. All it takes, my friend, is two words, two very simple yet extremely powerful words. When they come to you, whining in voices that make nails on a chalkboard a very welcomed sound and ask why can't they drive the car, all you have to say is "car insurance."
Thursday, October 07, 2010
My Review of Roku XD Player
The new XD steps it up with 1080p HD video quality and extended-range wireless.
Bad Picture Quality
Pros: Easy to set up, Easy to use
Cons: Poor picture quality, Inconsistent performance
Describe Yourself: Netflix fan, Power User, Early adopter, Technophile
At first, I thought I had a bad unit. The Roku-XD produced a strobing effect in the video. It reminded me of the old Macrovision copy protection feature used in playing VHS tapes. There were horizontal bands of brightest and darkest and seem to happen only during when there is sound. I used the composite video output to an old standard TV (no HDMI involved). If I adjust the brightness and contrast down enough, the strobing in the video is almost gone. Of course, the picture quality is very dark.
I must say that Roku's customer support is excellent! Within a week, I had a replacement unit. But, sadly, it has the same problem of strobing video.
I still have the unit I bought last year and it works very well. In fact, it has more video out options that Roku's newer models. I think Roku may have gone to a very cheap digital-to-analog conversion chip set.
(legalese)
Sunday, October 03, 2010
"Blogger In Draft"
Saturday, October 02, 2010
duck! it's 3D TV
Anyway, the latest technological challenge for geeks everywhere is 3-D TV. While at a electronic trade show recently, I got a chance to preview what is coming out for this Christmas shopping season. In one large booth, just past the scantily clad models (who, sadly, were not female), stood a large wall covered in the latest 3-D HD television screens. These pricey toys showed off majestic scenery that flickered fast enough to tease the eye into wanting more. A salesman strolled up to me and asked my opinion. As I watched vibrant images of colorful fields with swaying wheat, barley and corn, I said it was a little grainy for high definition. They threw me out of the tradeshow…

